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Looking Back at Central Texas' 2011 Labor Day Wildfires

KUT NEWS; FILIPA RODRIGUES; FLICKR.COM/ESCHIPUL; RESHMA KIRPALANI
Clockwise, from top left: The wildfire that burned Bastrop; volunteer firefighter Rick Chafey; charred trees in the Lost Pines forest; and Spicewood resident Melvin Pulver.

The Hidden Pines wildfire in Bastrop County is bringing back memories of an even more destructive fire four years ago.

The 2011 Labor Day wildfires took two lives and uprooted thousands of others in Central Texas. More than 1,600 homes were destroyed, landmarks disappeared and habitats changed.

For each statistic there is a story.

In 2012, the KUT News special "Forged in Flames: An Oral History of the Labor Day Wildfires" told the stories of the Bastrop, Steiner Ranch and Spicewood wildfires in the words of those who fought and those who survived the flames.

Take a listen:

Emily Donahue is a former grants writer for KUT. She previously served as news director and helped launch KUT’s news department in 2001.
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